


Si Deus me relinquit.

by Aamu16



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gehenna, Brotherly Love, Demons, Family Feels, Gen, Not Beta Read, Parent-Child Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-09-14 12:36:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9182122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aamu16/pseuds/Aamu16
Summary: Shiro has forsaken Rin, but kept Yukio. Rin became a street rat and while searching for a new hiding he found a bakery, there he meets a demon, Egyn..Just like the water, wrap them gently, lull them and with the sweetest kiss trap them in your claws… dragging them to the deepest pit of Hell.





	1. The queen and the street rat.

Egyn was called a King, but they were a female, the only princess of Hell; the Queen of Water. She was the quickest to heal and basically the healer of the Palace; when some of her little brothers got hurt, she healed them. After that there was a huge scolding that made them fear for their ears, but she was the sweetest of them, maybe because she had spent too much time in Assiah being that, a healer, a doctor.

But that were just applied to her family, her father (who sucked in showing affection) and her little brothers (she happened to be the third child so…), her older brothers were in Assiah so she wasn’t in contact with them.

When her father told them that they had new brothers (twins, no less), she had sighed. More little demons with too much power, after having taken care of her four little brothers she had already learned her lesson about they being a pain in the ass most of time (she still remembers Amaimon sending goblins after her when he was having a tantrum…), but there were some moments when they were cute… and she forgave everything.

Her father used to not get very involved until Egyn got fed up and told him that he would have to deal with HIS sons because she was getting a vacation in Assiah. Her eyes red from exhaustion and her growling at her father, surprised him so much that Satan didn’t register what she had said until she was stomping in Gehenna’s gate. She has always been his sweet little girl, his little princess.

Two weeks and all the demons were tracking her down and begging Egyn to go back home. Not because the Demon Lord

When Egyn came back her four little brothers crashed her; WTH?! Since then… well, her little brothers were far TOO clingy. It had been a pain.

So she took some vacation in Assiah, again. Her little brothers had already grown up and she missed Assiah’s water, the blue deeper than her eyes which were praised by the entire demonic court, they said that they were like Assiah’s skies in summer; different from her father’s.

Where should she go? Japan maybe? Yeah, she would go there. It has been a while after all.

.

Rin has been beaten again. They kept calling him ‘demon’, and one kid, older that the others, had called the police. They had discovered his hide (again) and they tried to catch him (again). Once they had managed they were fixed in sending him to an institution, well that wasn’t happening any time soon.

So he was now wandering around the city when he found a bakery. It was brand-new, pristine and clean, no old paint, no dirty hall. It seemed to be closed so he just entered by the back door and hoped it was really closed. It seemed a, more or less, good place to hide.

Egyn was finishing somepaper work when another presence came into the building. She sent Ruth to see who was, it wasn’t completely human but it wasn’t a demon either. Ruth came back in less than a minute; she was perplexed to say the least. Why her familiar did look so worried?

 _My Lady, the one who entered…_ he was slightly out of breath.

“Be clear.” She ordered; her browns frowned.

 _He, my Queen, if my suspicious if correct…_ she was losing her patience. Like a whip her tail lashed the floor, cracking a tile.

“Which part of be clear didn’t you understand?” The frozen fire in her eyes sent shivers down Ruth’s spine.

 _Is possible that he is your youngest brother, my master._ Her eyes widen exponentially. Her heels composed a symphony of clicks and clacks (presto tempo); when she reached the kitchen a boy was half-sleeping in the floor.

Rin woke up in the instant a shadow appeared in the sunset light that filtrated through the French doors made of stained glass. It was what made him choose this building in first place; a beautiful patter of circles made of different colors that when from the deepest blue to the burning red and passed for everything in between, as strange as it could seem he felt like this bakery was drawing him inside.

Her hair flowed and was tainted by the colors, the light danced across her skin like water would. Rin thought she was pretty; he did what he used to do with people like her, run away. She was an adult and adults were bad, from _that_ man to this woman.

She snapped her fingers, all doors were locked now. Her platinum blonde tail was tucked around her middle, it was starting get numb.

No matter what the boy did or tried there was no escape. But she wouldn’t subdue him, she knew better than that, too many little brothers for trying to do it by force.

“Whenever you think you are ready to eat come to get me. I will be up stairs.” She told him. Rin thought that she also had cute eyes, some shades paler than his own, the color of the sky reflected in the river.

The stranger turned back and looked loving to her side; she petted the thin air and smiled. What a weird woman.

He was confused, she hadn’t being angry at him because he just barged in, she hadn’t tried to hit him or kick him out. She had just snapped her fingers and told him to get her when he wanted to eat, odd. Maybe she was going to call the police… he needed to get out. Now.

He tried to open the doors, with no result; he wasn’t strong enough to lift something heavy like the tables and chairs in the dining room, and they were also out of his reach; he didn’t think he could do something with the cooking tools. He started to run, until he reached some stairs, he climbed them. Surely, there were some windows that weren’t closed. He stopped when he felt something painful; he must have scratched with something.

A big black dog was in front of him, his eyes blood red.

Usually animals have nice, curious eyes, sometimes weary or even wild when they felt cornered… but the eyes of this dog wasn’t like that at all, they were sharper than any other animal he’s ever seen, cold like the ice and hard as steel. Rin started to shake when he felt something soft caress his cheek, its tail. It was too long to belong to a dog; it would have had more common sense if it belonged to a horse. Those crimson eyes looked at him now half-opened, sending chills down his spine.

But suddenly the hound looked up and away from him; its tail stopped stroking his skin and practically ran through the hallway, as if it had heard his master calling for it.

The boy fell on his knees as the sun descended and hidden away, as if it could support the sight of the world anymore. On the other side of the horizon the moon started to rise in all its silver magnificent, severe as a mother scolding her children for being up so late.

Rin didn’t know how long has he been in the floor, wondering about the woman, and dog and that black things like bugs that kept pestering him. He was growing desperate and he didn’t have any more space to run away, he was going to fall down stairs; he lost his footing.

But instead of the hard wood he felt smooth fur pushing him up, to the landing again. He looked back and saw the dog of earlier, he growled and barked; Rin coiled and put his little arms in front of his face, closing his eyes and waiting for it to bite him. Nothing happened.

The boy opened his eyes fearfully, slowly; just to find that all the bugs from earlier were gone. The dog had chased them away. He looked at the dog in a new light; it hasn’t only saved him once but twice. He stretched out his hand hesitantly and it met it half way with his wet nose, it tickled; and Rin smiled. He petted the dog until they were among the shadows of the night and he could only tell apart its scarlet eyes, the hound tugged his dirty t-shirt and leaded him through the hallways of the upper plant until a half open door.

Inside was the woman from earlier, humming a soft tune with a sweet voice and gentle eyes. It pushed the door open and trotted up her feet, waving its unnatural long tail; she petted his head and it panted in delight. Now that she was in an unnatural light Rin could see her long hair in a ponytail, it fell over her shoulder and curved ever so slightly at its end in a natural way that would be impossible to get through a tool; her lips full and red like pomegranates, fair skin that seemed really smooth and beautiful icy-blue eyes. The most gorgeous he had ever seen.

She wasn’t Japanese, he could tell by the angles of her face, her round eyes and the shape of her body. She wasn’t like the woman he was used to see passing by on the streets, the typical Japanese average woman. But there was something that was unsetting, then he discovered it…A tail, the same color that her hair, platinum blonde, swinging from side to side lazily, as the tail of cat would do.

He started to back away in fear.

 “Do you want to run away?” she asked, looking at him in a loving manner. Like a sister or mother would, but Rin didn’t knew this, after all, he never met his mother and didn’t have an older sister to compare either. “Have we done something for making you uncomfortable?”

Rin shook his head slowly, looking at it from a new light she and her dog have been nicer to him than any human until now have ever been.

_The prey… is deceived with sweet words and dragged into the darkness._

“Bu-ut you are a demon and-” He couldn’t get the mangled of words that he had hear during his earlier years, when he still had a place he could call home; in the monastery, with _that man_ and his little brother.

“Why would I want to harm you? Where’s the gain for me?” she asked, appealing to the logic. “Demons make lure men when the can gain something in exchange.” She told him patiently, never angry, never rising her voice from a honey like whisper, never leaving his eyes.

“But I told you to come and get me when you got hungry, didn’t I? And can’t have a little boy like you starving under my roof, can we?” she got up and Ruth mirrored her motion, her heels marked a score where the musical notes were the click-clack sounds she made. Ruth would define it as a _pianissimo_.

“What would you like?” she asked him kneeling to reach the level of his eyes. Rin was griping the dirty t-shirt he had got in the dirty laundry of some random house when the housekeeper was out. “My dear, you have to take a bath right away! Or else you may catch an infection!” she acted like she was surprised and tucked some stray locks of his face; he still had baby-fat.

_To not notice the demon’s concealed power…skillfully._

Rin was somewhere between the marvel and horror, she looked like a faery-tale princess. And she was been so, so nice and sweet to him. She exited the room and made her way to the next door at the left, there was a hybrid between Japanese and western like bathroom. There was a sink and cupboards, a toilet, a big round mirror and a bigger shower.

“Well, I don’t have a bathtub but I have a huge shower.” She looked critically at the shower, and then at Rin. He looked troubled because he couldn’t reach, but didn’t wanted to mention it because she was even letting him get a good nice shower with shampoo and bath soap and delicious hot water. “I need to get a shower too. And I don’t want to waste hot water, so can I go in with you?”

Saying that he got flushed was the understatement of the year. She just laughed softly when after seem like he was going to burst of embracement nodded.

_Sweetly…_

She went to her bedroom with Rin and Ruth in her heels. She took out two white shirts, one of her and one for Rin, and some panties.

“Sorry, I don’t have boxers.” Then they felt silent. “I can wash your boxers and put them in the dryer, so you can wear them before going to bed.”

“Can-can I stay?” he asked so amazed he couldn’t believe it. She didn’t know him for more than ten minutes perhaps? Maybe she was trying to lure him in to a trap! He raised his guard.

“Yes you can, but with one condition.” She said looking at him seriously. _Well_ , Rin thought, _this is the part when she kick me out._ “You must help me in the bakery.” The boy blinked. “As long as you do so you can stay while I’m here.” But she didn’t say when she would be parting from this place. She had just said ‘while I’m here’.

_Quietly…_

They took that shower and, while flushed, Rin allowed her to wash his hair. Her fingers were careful and massaged the scalp gently sometimes using her nails to scrub the dirt. She hummed a tune in a foreign language, a song that talked about a woman who tells the travelers to tell her long lost love how to get her love back; this man was at the Scarborough fair.

Rin felt so content, he felt like he could trust her. Her songs and hands were so nice, he had forgotten how good it felt when someone takes care of you; how delicious was feeling the hot stream of water wash his body (they had to scrub him twice to get him really clean) he had been washing himself in the early morning at the river, the only thing he had to scrub with were his broken nails.

After she got out of the shower Rin realized that they didn’t have each other names. It was weird really, trusting another person, no, a demon; more than a human. It felt like the water was washing away his year in the streets. And truth to be told, this demon was treating him better than any of his fellow human beings.

“What’s your name?” he asked enjoying a bit more the shower while she dried her hair and tail. She didn’t answer because she knew he wouldn’t hear her over the hair dryer noise, when she stopped a waterfall of pale blonde fell over her shoulders. She put on the shirt and her underwear and took a fluffy white towel big enough to cover Rin completely.

She opened the towel and her arms in the same motion, inviting him in. He became red and without thinking twice stepped in front of her, she wrapped him with the towel, from head to toe, and kissed his head over the fabric whiteness.

“My name is Egyn.” She answered in a whisper, as if in it laid all the secret of oceans and seas. Maybe it was like that. “And yours, little one?”

“Rin.” She didn’t ask for a family name, Egyn didn’t need it or she seemed it look like that.

“What a fitting name… it means ‘dignified’, doesn’t it?” Rin could hear the smile in her voice. “I will make the laundry and put your clothes in. Ruth will guide to this floor kitchen.” Like that she released him from his hug and went to other room taking the clothes he has been wearing for a moth now.

He was a bit red and lightheaded, like a dream he found himself failing in love with the gestures of this woman. A hot shower, food and making his laundry could not be much for some people but it meant the world for him. A tender kiss of a kind demon, if only… he was her family, her real family (because blood is thicker than water).

If only, she, they shared that undeniable link. How happy would he be?

Rin knew it, that he has only known her for an hour or so. But his heart cold as the ice until now had been melting and even if he still was unsure and hesitating; who could blame him? No-one had shown him this kindness, as sugary as honey, delicious in every way and warming as blanket.

_Dripping sweet poison, luring them in, making them fall in your arms._

He dressed himself and followed Ruth (the black hound) to the kitchen, it was in the opposite hallway. The wood complained under his feet emitting creaks and groans, the lights were on, it sent yellow light that made him feel a little bit warmer.

The kitchen floor was made of tiles like Egyn’s office floor; they were a light blue, lighter than Egyn’s eyes. Baby blue was it called? He didn’t know that much but once he had slept in the back of an art studio. The artist was complaining about the paint been baby blue instead of icy blue, he didn’t understand it though.

Then Egyn was in the kitchen, she smiled to him and put an apron on it said ‘I’m a Hell of a cook!’ He snickered, and Egyn giggled a bit while taking food out of the fridge.

“I’m going to make pelmeni and, do you like peach tea?” she asked. He was half lost by that strange name what in Hell was pelmeni? “Oh, pelmeni is a Russian dish. I went there for a while, it resembles to Japanese dumplings.”

“Can you set the table?” Egyn asked while taking the mass she did in the morning and a jar full of cold peachy tea. Rin wanted to say yes but he didn’t have any idea of where everything was. Ruth rubbed its nose in his arm and went to a cupboard, it started to claw it.

The boy opened it and found a tablecloth, it was white and had the exactly the size of the round wooden table in the center of the room he carried it and climbed one of the two craved chairs and with Ruth teaching him where everything was he set the table by the time the pelmeni were served.

_Just like the water, wrap them gently, lull them and with the sweetest kiss trap them in your claws… dragging them to the deepest pit of Hell._


	2. An undesirable goodbye.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where are you going?!”  
> “Home.”  
> “Your home is here!”  
> “Not anymore.”

Every day the same routine, a nice one except for the waking part, Egyn and Rin woke up at five to start the preparations, the dough, and start making sweets and different kinds of bread; they also made cakes and the first sweets were always their breakfast.

Rin loved this routine, he was becoming skilled and Egyn praised him so very often. That Rin was practically glowing; a dazzling smile almost parted his cheeks every time he got a nice word for his hard work or a pat on the head or on the back. They didn’t tell anyone about themselves and slowly their story was already there, created by the neighbors and their chatty tongues.

A foreigner young woman alone with a little kid, the tales about her divorcing and gaining the child custody, about how she must have had it hard even being a pretty little thing and about her horrible husband that made her sweet and cheerful have such scars even being a little gentleman who always helped her in the bakery. There was no way it has been her fault, or her child’s.

Others said that they were running away of a house full of memories, tales that told about a heroic husband who was killed in order to protect them, about a human trash that owed money to the yakuza and tried to involve them to sell them, there were many tales about them. So many that it was funny, but they didn’t dare to ask them, God forbid it! It would be so very rude that they wouldn’t do so.

She bought him clothes and became his tutor too, so Rin was homeschooled and he couldn’t be happier. He was in charge of the deliveries and while people looked at him with a confused look he wasn’t recognized, but that was just at the beginning. Then he became Rin, the baker’s cheerful and cute only child; there has been just one time what his surname was and he stiffed so suddenly that he almost threw the bread he was going to deliver to the awful old hag that always told him that he was trash in a hushed whisper he would hear without fail. But Egyn told him to be nice and pretend; then she had kissed his forehead and hugged him gently.

The old ladies looked at him and while they saw black messy hair and electric blue eyes, they couldn’t relate such the good and bright child of the bakery with the demon child that seemed to have disappeared from the slums.

“My, you have such a sweet child, Eiko-san.” The old woman told her one day while she was buying the splendid bread Egyn usually made with Rin. The boy asked why did she had to hide her beautiful name and, while looking at him with a sad smile, made him remember what happen when he first knew she was a demon. ‘What do you think that will happen if they know what I am?’ she asked; Rin went pale.

“Thank you very much Mrs. Okuda.” Egyn usually flattered her female clients; the more they liked her bakery the less likely was that they would say something suspicious about them. “Rin is my little gentleman. But please don’t tell him, or he may trip of how flushed he would get!” Egyn said all this with a knowing smile to her ear across the counter. And they both giggled a bit, like they have just shared a spicy secret and they were the same age. “Well then, may you have a good day and like my sweets Mrs. Okuda!”

“Oh dear, your sweets are always lovely. I can’t imagine someone who doesn’t like them.” The nosy old woman told her.

“My! You are too kind, Mrs. Okuda!” She said with a flattered smile and slightly pink cheeks. What an actress she was, in fact she hated that woman; she used to look at Rin like he was a filthy pest in the ground and her grandchildren were the ones how used to try to beat Rin time and time again.

But she was used to wait, to let it burn slowly inside her chest and like a fox which pretended to be as trustworthy as a dog waited to be left alone in the house to eat everything up and more, disappearing after it without a trace.

“Rin, time for the deliveries.” She called from the counter. The boy was in the kitchen eating (again) some sweets. Egyn shook her head and looked down, usually people looked up, but she wasn’t common either a human to being with.

Rin knew he wasn’t welcome, he knew the entire world have abandoned him, and he would be doomed if there wasn’t for her, the kind demon who dried his tears and healed his wounds, the demon the world had also thrown away.

If humans didn’t accept him, what did it mattered anymore that the devil would? Her caresses were sweeter than honey, and her smile loving. Then, may the humans be doomed for all he cared! As long as the devil welcomed him in her pale arms he would find the peace that light had denied him so many times.

He swallowed the croissant and took the dainty blue box, he would put it on the back of his bike and Ruth would lead the way. The dog was some like a GPS, Egyn told Rin that they had gone across the city the first day he would show Rin the way to wherever he needed to go without fail.

The black dog has been the closest to a playmate he had ever had, so when Egyn couldn’t or was too exhausted to play with him he would play with Ruth and later them both would cuddle with Egyn.

“Come back soon!” Egyn told him in the distance loudy.

Rin didn’t know that it was the last time he would be parting in his blue bike.

.

Ruth was running along with him, turning at left and right when needed. Until the dog stopped and sat, that was the signal, they were on the place.

Rin’s blood ran cold when he saw it was _that man_ and his little brother’s place. Slowly, he put his feet on the ground and parked the bike on the front. With shaking hands he took the strawberry cake they had asked for, it wasn’t Yukio’s birthday obviously but he remembered this day… today _that man_ had abandoned him…

_“Dad? Why do I have to wait here? Why can’t I wait at home?”_

_“Well, there are a few things I need to take care of and I can’t have you trying to help. You’re too little.”_

_“I promise I won’t be in the way!”_

_“That won’t do Rin. Promise me you will be good and that you will wait until I come back.”_

_“Okay… But come back soon! Promise me!”_

_“Very well, I promise you.”_

He never came back, Rin waited until the day turned night and the sun hid away again. He waited until his stomach couldn’t take it, until he understood that _He_ wasn’t going to come back never.

Still for a month, maybe longer, maybe not; he went back to that place every day… that was until the Police tried to take him to an institution… then Rin lost even the hope he didn’t know he still had.

Perhaps it was to celebrate it, the fact he was gone.

Rin’s hands were shaking badly, he was, oh, so afraid! His eyes started to water.

Why?! Of all places! Why here?! Why did _they_ have to call to his bakery?!

Why when he was happy again did they have to crush into his life again?!

He felt Ruth’s smooth head rub against his leg; the black dog looked at him with his big red eyes, now the color of the cherries and lollypops to him, so sweet and natural. The months with Egyn flew through his mind, her soft touch, her patient smile, the smell of just-backed bread, the colorful sweets and the taste of the cream and puff pastry, the foreigner baking they made…

White light passing through the stained glass and tricking it into a picturesque mess.

Black fur shining white and reddish into the summer morning light.

Hot clay and white sheets warning about the lazy wind, the relief of a heat-haze day.

Piano notes hushing away his fears and a loving voice singing for him in a stormy night.

His family was them, the Grim dog called Ruth and the demon named Egyn. Those people who had thrown him away weren’t related to him anymore even if one was his twin… even if blood was thicker than water.

With a new resolve Rin entered the monastery and rang the bell.

“About time!” A too familiar voice said, _He_ was coming, the child stood proud and decided that he wouldn’t back off. Not this time. He was Rin Okumura no more; he was Rin, the baker’s child. “There you are! I thought I would have to go to your…” _He_ froze at Rin’s view.

“It would be 1.153, 07 yens (10$).” The boy said with a straight face, and lifted the more or less heavy box. The box was a beautiful baby blue with a midnight blue velvet ribbon, in one of the sides of the box was written in white cursive letters “ _Lapis lazuli_ ” in an elegant foreign language.

The man stood there just looking at him.

“Rin…”

“Please, pay the cake so I can go home.” The brunette asked politely. In his eyes Fujimoto could see hatred, and an odd serenity. The blame dried his mouth and even if he had the money in his hand he couldn’t bring himself to give it to the boy who stared at him with unforgiving eyes.

Rin let the box at his feet and took the money of his hand, counting and finding it exact (to his relief). He put the pay in his back pocket and without looking back closed the door. Saying that Fujimoto was in shock will have been the understatement of the year, the soft click of the door brought him back to his senses.

He exited the house and saw Rin already on his bike, his a demon waiting patiently for him to get going (a familiar maybe?).

“Rin!” the old exorcist called, failing to notice the object at the dog’s paws, a sword in a blue shield. “Where are you going?!”

“Home.”

“Your home is here!”

“Not anymore.”

.

Yukio was coming back for school, more gloomy than usual, today was the day his brother disappeared two years ago. This was the second anniversary.

Surely dad had bought a cake of something to cheer him up. He didn’t want any; he would just say he wasn’t hungry. He missed big brother’s cooking…

When he went inside the house Yukio whispered a greeting just to see his dad ready to head to somewhere dangerous, he had a lot of guns and also spirit water.

“Dad?” The child asked, half doubting if his father had gone crazy or not. He was smiling. Maybe this was his way to let off stream?

“Yukio, I found Rin!” Yukio eyes lighted up immediately. His big brother was going to come home! Finally!

“I’m going!” the little one said. He missed his brother greatly, his bone-crushing hugs and his carefree smile.

“No, you’re not. It’s dangerous; I saw a demon with him.” Yukio’s eyes went wide so that was it! The demons had taken his brother! That’s why no one could find him!

He would made sure to protect Rin from the demons, because his big brother has always protected him from the bad kids who called him nerd, four-eyes, weak… he would do the same for his brother!

“I’m going.” The boy said with a determination that melted the old man’s heart. So determined to save his big brother… His sea-blue, almost green, eyes wagering with too many emotions to cope with on his own; little hands made fists and trembling. Well, he has only seen a dog and it could have been a familiar…

“Okay, go change. I will call for back up.” The albino man told him, messing a bit with his hair. The boy smiled softly; ahh how he missed Rin’s smile, so full of life, so cheerful… soon the three of them would be home again. There was nothing to worry about.

He phoned Mephisto.

.

“Welcome home, Rin.” Even before blinking he was already hugging her, his face hidden in her belly and shaking a bit. Egyn was confused but hugged his trembling frame back, she lowered and sat on her knees while petting his head.

She would need to file her nails again… what a nuisance…

“Ehru? Piano? Guzheng?” She asked quietly. Rin loved hear her play, and those were his favorite instruments of all.

“Dream of sword and blade.” He mumbled in a weak voice. Vibrations resounded against her body and sooner than later an ebony-wood guzheng was brought to her.

Ruth had left the sword at Rin’s feet. The boy didn’t even notice about it. On the cold hard floor they sat in silence, Egyn took Rin by the shoulders and pushed him from her body. Her honeyed smile calmed him enough to let her separate him from her body, her nails grew in an instant, naturally baby blue as her white hand approached to the black instrument.

The music of the Chinese harp filled the room and her voice, the voice Rin loved so much, started to sing like the nightingale in the Emperor’s gardens.

The sweet atmosphere shattered at the sound of a crashing door against a tiled floor.

_My sword, where will it be next? Love and resentment, it’s hard to tell apart._

They stared wide eyed to the people in front of them. _That man_ and his brother with a group of people all clothed in black, _He_ looked as surprised as them. Yukio hugged the holy water against his chest.

“Rin, quickly, get away from it!” he aimed while saying it. Pointing at his beloved Egyn, she let the guzheng on the floor and stood in front of the child protectively.

“Ruth, take Rin and go home.” A black dog took the sword in his jaws and hurried Rin with an anxious look.

“No!” Rin hugged her leg and refused to let go. His Egyn, his sister! His mother! No, he wouldn’t let her go!

“You have to.” The female demon turned and hugged him tight. “I’ll be your decoy, now go.” The first bullet pierced her shoulder.

Shiro’s shotgun spitted out a shell.

“EGYN!”

_My blade, cuts through the sky. Right and wrong, it’s hard to understand._

Yukio couldn’t understand his brother’s tears neither his scream, covered by the demon’s.

From the thin air she draw a whip, it was made of water. So she was a water demon… the tamer called out earth demons, the other dragon tried to aim properly, but it was difficult in this darkness. The aria started to chant in a hurry.

Bullets that became ice, blood that didn’t obey its owner, everything was becoming a blur. A broken instrument laid in the floor like a bird with its wings smashed, it would never be played again…

The young boy tried to reach his brother and opened the water container… the devil screamed twice.

“YUKIO!”

A bullet that should have severed his life was received by devilish flesh.

“Why?”

“Because blood is thicker than water.” And she continued fighting everything while trying not to harm them.

Suddenly the twins lost their foot and fell into something similar to mud.

_I’m drunk, everything is hazy. Grace and grudge, are they all illusion?_

A Gehenna’s gate had been opened.

His children were in danger but he couldn’t do a thing except to whip this demon of Assiah.

She wasn’t a normal demon, that was for sure, and if she wanted she would be able to do so much more…

Why? Why didn’t she unleash all her strength? Was she afraid of losing her vessel?

Yukio felt like he was drowning, he tried to go up but everything dragged him down. He was afraid.

He wanted to go home.

He wanted to be saved by his father, by his brother.

_I wake up, everything is just a dream. Life and death, nothing matters._

Rin woke up with a startled feeling. His memories came back quicker than he had thought possible, hazy and dark but they did.

Egyn!

He looked around frantic; Ruth was beaten in the carpeted floor, Yukio was still unconscious, a man clothes in black stood in front of him.

He was as pale as Egyn, white hair and the same blue electric eyes that Rin had. Wearing black, details is gold and a cloak as black as the night. Earring made of gold and diamonds and knee-high boots. On his head cold blue fire looked like horns…

_Come in a hurry, go in a hurry. I resent that we can never meet again._

_Love in hurry, hate in hurry. Everything is just like the wind._

_A wild laugh, a deep sigh, a sound of merry, a sound of sorrow._

“Aren’t you going to greet your father?”

_Who can go with me through life and death?_


	3. Ego deum relinquo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did her Bruther to cope with such foolish creatures who didn’t know their place?  
> .  
> ‘This is the story of the monster that humans abandoned and the demons who accepted me.’

The cell was a silver and white palette passing for the gray and maybe some pink… this cell was made specially in order to contain her, just two beings in all Assiah could have gathered all she hated and put it together and used it to build a cell. Blessed silver, copper and tons of iron…

Iron… Egyn hated the iron more than anything. And yet there she was, in a fucking prison cell at the Vatican mercy, well, it could worse… they could have caught Rin and Yukio before Ruth took them away.

Her wrists were bound by _iron damned handcuffs_ and it was burning her fast enough to weak her without making her lose her consciousness because of the pain. Her feet weren’t any better, _iron chains_ against her _bare skin_ made her dizzy enough to let her panting in the floor, hissing and at the verge of crying.

“My sister dearest!” Egyn’s tears escaped from under her eyelashes in her effort of opening her eyes. Her big brother had entered in the cell with her; if she could have mustered the strength Egyn would have kicked him at her first chance.

She just looked up in response. Samael gazed at her mesmerized view from above, she was beautiful even in such circumstances, tears trailing down her eyes horizontally, reddened eyes that made the changing blue of her eyes stand out even more, her long blond hair spilled over her body and the floor and framing her face, red cheeks and even redder lips… surely a mermaid.

“Even now you take my breath away, beloved.” He said taking his hat off his head and making a mocking bow.

“Bru... der…” She panted, her lips parted and dragging breaths of the bittersweet air more or less fresh inside her cell. Mephisto smiled, she still remembered that his favorite language was German.

“And why is the fairest of all Gehenna in my dungeons, I may ask.”

She didn’t respond, instead she smiled and looked at him with a sly smile.

“Maybe the one who they call Titania has a plan?” The humans called her by many names; Titania was just one of them. The queen of Fae, did anyone ever wondered why the water demons looked like the fairies in the illustrated books?

“Let’s just say…that you…taught me well.” Her consciousness was starting to blur, may the tomorrow came faster, she wanted to get home in her soft bed and visit her beautiful garden in the center of Pandemonium. “Bru…der…”

.

“What do you mean?” Rin was lost; the man in front of him had a terrifying aura. Rin had the feeling that he was the kind of man he didn’t want to upset by any means.

“Exactly what I said. Didn’t your sister teach you manners?” An elegant eyebrow shot up, interrogation and superiority mixing in just one gesture of his face.

“Sister?”

“Egyn.” The male clarified, as if sighing. He didn’t really had a lot of patience, usually was Egyn who dealt with the brats. “Where is she?” The man wasn’t speaking to Rin anymore, which was a good thing. The boy was too shaken to try and have a proper conversation that would be held in the future without fail.

The black dog whimpered pitifully at the white haired man and, trembling like a leaf, bleeding an insane about of blood, took the sword his that was near him and presented it at the feet of the older man. Ruth was at brink of death, if Satan-sama punished him then and there for not protecting his Lady he would surely die, without a sheer of doubt.

Rin caught him when he finally fell on his side, the boy was sobbing in sadness and confusion. His dog was dying in his arms, his newly-found sister wasn’t anywhere to be seen and she was injured, his twin was laying on the carpeted floor unconscious and that man with silver tail told him that he was his father… just what in the world was happening?

He wanted to go back to their bakery, wake up in tangled in the white comfy sheets Egyn had bought and found her humming in the kitchen, preparing the dough and laughing at his bed-hair. Found that all this was a dream; that he had never gone to see that man again, that he wasn’t here and that Ruth was perfectly fine. Both were like the river and sea to him, one ended in the other and it always would come back to Rin, like the waves come back to the shore.

“Are you attached to Egyn’s familiar?” the man asked kneeling, picking the sword but staying that way so he could look in his child’s electric blue eyes, now puffy and swollen and red. The kid just nodded frantically, hugging the demon closer to his chest, afraid that he would do something bad to the dog-like being. “Then, shall I help him?”

Hope gleamed in Rin’s eyes; that was all the other needed to touch the other’s fur and bathed it in blue flames. Rin’s eyes widen in horror, Ruth was being burned! He wanted him to live not to end his suffering by the death.

“Don’t worry; I’m burning the bullets that don’t let him use your sister’s powers.” When a king or queen, in this case, of Hell made a contract with an inferior demon it had the right to borrow a little bit of their master’s powers. When the blue flames died Ruth was already almost recovered. “Now, you shall meet your other brothers and, for you,” Satan gazed at Ruth, whose head was still been cradled by the young son of his Great King. “you will carry my youngest son in your back and you will lead both my sons to the room that has been prepared for them. Have I made myself clear?”

_Right away, Your Majesty._

“Good.” The man got up and walked back to the end of the room, where a throne stood proud on top of a platform covered by a mahogany carpet long enough to reach where they stood. The dog demon lowered his head in a bow and tried to make Rin help him to put his younger twin on his back. The boy got sure that Yukio didn’t fall from the demon he considered his pet.

Satan looked them walk away with a pleased smile on his face. Really… his daughter was really the best when it came to get people’s love.

And what was more powerful than love?

.

Ruth stopped in front of an ebony door, so their wood was ebony… every king and queen (or prince and princess, if you preferred) of Gehenna had different materials that were sacred to them, just like the humans gave their gods some sacred animal. Tree, metal, stone, flower, animal… they all had one that belonged just to them, for example the months of the year, starting with Satan in January they all had a month when they were more receptive to Assiah’s calls. Ruth guessed that Rin would have November and the other boy December.

Rin opened the door to find a huge room with two beds, one in each side of the room and if they had put a mirror facing one side, the reflection would have been exactly the same that the other side of the room. West side and East side were completely equal.

They left Yukio on the bed in the East side of the room; it was funny that the twin, who had lived like an exorcist, would get the side of the dawn and the other, who had been called a demon, the side of the twilight.

Rin looked at Ruth hesitantly; if only Ruth could talk… while the familiar wished the child had already awaken so he would be able to hear his voice. The kid’s eyes watered and wrapped Ruth in a bone-crushing hug by the neck and sanck, taking the dog with him. Rin didn’t know how long he had been crying there but he knew that Ruth licked his tears away trying to calm him; Rin remembered how Egyn had brushed away his tears earlier and kissed his eyelids. Then _that man_ had come in and his life had been shattered in pieces in front his every eyes.

The door opened suddenly and unceremoniously, a man. Green hair and green eyes, and odd sense of fashion, Ruth bowed at Amaimon, king of Earth.

“So, you are my little brother… I have never had one before…” Amaimon looked at Rin carefully, like a scientific observing a rat lab searching for anomalies. “You sure look like a human.”

“I am human.” The boy answered; what a foolish question was that.

“No, you are not.” The older boy retorted. “At least not completely. You’re my brother and our father is Satan, the Demon King.” The teen blunted.

That was when Rin mind went blank.

He was a demon.

He was a demon…

He was a DEMON!

It felt good and bad and confusing and!

He started to cry.

Amaimon was startled, what a weird reaction for his little brother! Ruth on the other hand dashed to Rin and tried to comfort him some way. The king wondered why that underline was so attached to his little brother.

Some minutes after, the desperate cries and yells became muffled whimpers and once again he was perched to Ruth fur. He looked at his ‘older brother’ and tried to find if he had said it with ill will, he found none. He looked clueless about the reason of Rin’s outburst.

Then Satan came in.

.

“Come out demon.” An exorcist spitted to her, like she was some kind of pest that they need to take care of and doing so would be a nuisance. Well, they surely thought exactly that; oh, how she wanted to strangle him her chains or stab him with that necklace of his that was the symbol of the Order.

How did her Bruder to cope with such foolish creatures who didn’t know their place?

They took her to the yard; there was no need of judgment for her. They were going to so the students how to kill a demon in a guided activity by the Headmaster’s recommendation. Adachi didn’t get why did they had to do such a dangerous activity… but it was Headmaster’s order and this demon was weak and probably a succubus at most.

He just hoped they didn’t have to do a big mess about this.

Adachi yanked the chain and Egyn almost fell, the cell she had been straining the air to make it dry. Hell, they did actually throw her to their more nightmarish cell, didn’t they?

But going to the outside was making her better, faster than they would hope to think.

‘Soon.’ She told herself. ‘Soon I will crush their heads with my bare hands.’

She actually preferred to do things stylishly but… they managed to piss her off enough.

.

“What is the meaning of this?” Satan quirked an eyebrow up, he was planning to have a chat with Rin, but in his way to the twins room he heard a loud cry. This was really aout of his league… oh how he wished to have at least an idea of how to calm his kids. “Amaimon.”

“I just told him that he was a demon.” The monarch turned to Ruth, without a clue of why would that make a child cry.

 _The humans used to call the prince that, he almost ran away from My Lady when he discovered she was a demon. If you allow me to express my opinion…_ Satan nodded and crossed his arms, the blue sword in his right hand. _I think the prince doesn’t know how to deal with his information due to the fact that he grew in an environment where such word meant that he would be hated just by the mere act of existing._

Satan sighed, what was he going to do now?

“Rin.” He called looking down. The child retuned his gaze with even sorer eyes than before. “Do you hate Egyn?”

“No!” The answer was so straightforward that the oldest didn’t think that the child gave it any thought at all.

“Even if she is a demon?”

“It doesn’t matter! She was the only one how didn’t turn her back at me!”

“Then why do you hate so much the fact that you are a demon like her? That she is your sister?”

The seven years old quieted against the question. That was right why would he hate it? There was nothing wrong to be like Egyn.

“My sister?”

“She’s my daughter, just like you are my son.” Rin was processing the information. And suddenly he felt his face, neck and ears go red, THAT MAN WAS HIS FATHER! His ACTUAL father! “Why are you red now?”

Gehenna’s king really had a hard time dealing with emotions of old centuries demons (his sons and daughter), let alone the changing feeling of a little child who could be laughing one minute and crying the next.

“I- you- Sis-” He was trying to get his emotions under control but it was so hard, he squeezed Ruth neck a bit too much for the comfort of the other. If he could he would have started to pale and choke. “Are you my- my actual father? I mean…”

“If you are asking if we are blood related, then yes.” Rin put to shame to the tomatoes.

“Ah, the familiar had fainted.” Amaimon commented, Rin released him on the spot.

“Ruth!” The child called shaking him frantically. “I’m sorry!”

“You shouldn’t apologize to an underline…” Rin didn’t listen to his father; he was too busy on the moment trying to get his pet back to consciousness. The dog-like demon shook itself and lowed hi head to sniff Rin’s little hand, the child beamed and hugged him tight for a moment before he released Ruth.

“Where’s big sister?” The child, now normal again, asked. Satan was really amazed, what the hell? How could he be so normal now after throwing such a bunch of emotions?

“Prisoner, probably.” He told him with the same delicacy that Amaimon had. Rin paled. “But, you can help her.”

_Si Deus me relinquit… (If God had forsaken me…)_

“How?”

_Ego… Deum… relinquo (I… forsake… God)_

“Throw away all your humanity.” The Great King showed him the sword he had been carrying all this time. “If you draw this sword you cast away all what makes you human, you will truly become a demon and not human neither the exorcist nor the Vatican will see you like anything else than a thing to be killed anymore.”

“But this way you will save Egyn, your older sister; you will become a rightful member of the royal family of Gehenna; you will be recognized as my ninth son and the ninth Prince of this realm. And remember this well, once you become part of our family there’s no turning back, in good times and bad times, health and sickness.”

“Sister dearest use to say this ‘Blood is thicker than water.’ And now it has become family words.” Amaimon said, Rin remembered how she protected Yukio, even after him attacking her. “It’s the only code that really exists in this family.”

Rin eyes watered, this was what he always wanted. A family.

_Solus oppressus nigram clavem habere possunt, (Only the oppressed may possess a black key)_

“If I can save My sister, if I can have a family… If all I have to do is forsake the same humans who abandoned me, then I will become the monster they called me time and time again.” Rin took the sword and drew it.

 _Omnia portas praecludo, per eam rem… omnias precationes obsigno._ _(I close all the doors, thus…_ _I seal away all prayers)_

While blue flames enveloped him Rin thought ‘This is the story of the monster that humans abandoned and the demons who accepted me.’


	4. Rescue and coming home.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “WHAT ARE YOU SAYING NII-SAN!?” Yukio didn’t understand, their family was ‘Priest Fujimoto’, not those demons!

They led her to a main courtyard and let her lying down in the ground, few minutes later she was standing straight. Bad move.

Five Arias and two tamers made a circle around her, the students stood behind them. Adachi clapped two times gaining the attention of the student body.

“Very well everyone, we have called you here on Saturday because we will teach you how to exorcist a Succubus in this lesson.” The exorcist looked around him, noticing how all of them were looking at the demon with a fearful gaze. “Don’t worry, it’s harmless.”

“Talk for yourself.” Egyn retorted, she smirked and let the rest see her shining fangs, white as the pearls she is used to wear. “My, my, haven’t you grown cocky?”

One of the Aria started to recite the fatal verse of Succubus, Egyn looked unfazed. The humidity of the air started to condensate and soon her chains were involved in a whirlpool that soon they started to rust, one pull of them and she was free.

Their faces were priceless, a mix of shock and disbelief and made her laugh a bit. Oh dear, she always had loved how funny humans’ expressions were when they faced something unexpected.

The exorcists started to recite one of the Gospels; how stupid of them… God’s word didn’t work on the royal family; they were God’s son and grandchildren after all. All beautiful, all powerful, truly worthy to be called fallen angels, those were Satan and his children. Even if it was pretty an earful, more than anything it could be said that it was… unpleasant to hear such a thing.

Egyn smiled.

Then tamers made their apparition, Earth and Fire demons ugh…

“Oh dear, I think you don’t even start to understand who I am. Am I right?” All the water of the True Cross came to her, healing her, giving her strength. Assiah’s water was truly gentle… but not under her command. “Let me present myself formally.”

“My name is Egyn, first princess of Gehenna, Satan’s third child and Queen of Water.” They paled, her red lips widened in a sadistic smile. “Now, kneel.”

.

Brilliant blue flames and even bluest eyes burning fiercely, a grin made its way to Satan’s lips. Yes, finally one of his children was able to control his blue flames; he already had high expectations on the other one.

“Rin, I will open the Gate to Assiah. But, I cannot go with you, it would break the taboo.” He made a cut on his hand and let the blood drip into the carpeted floor. Soon enough it started to bubble and expand, creating a pool and then the frame of the door created itself. Just like the one Rin has used to come to Gehenna. “Amaimon and the familiar will go with you. Bring you sister back son of mine.”

Rin jumped into the Gate and it swallowed him as a pond would, Amaimon went after him and so did Ruth.

Satan wasn’t worried about his daughter in the slightest, if only the boy knew! How many she had slayed already, how they feared her! And at the same time they fell again and again… as month-cloths attracted to the fire.

Well, he would have to indulge her this time; she had sent not one but two treasures. Maybe he should let her increase her numbers… she had wanted to do so for a while now.

.

A Gate opened between her and the exorcists, who could they be? Had Ruth earned permission of her father?

Blue flames clashed with water, steam filled the courtyard.

In front of her Rin, covered in their father blue flames, stood. Salt water dripping from his eyes and a sword larger than him in his right hand, she covered her mouth and the ice in her eyes became water. Amaimon was there too and Ruth.

“Let’s go sister, father is waiting.” The green-eyed told her. “But I really want to see Assiah a bit…”

“We will come again, don’t worry.” She assured him, better to go while the steam still covered them. Even if she would love to chop their heads, a plan was forming in her mind and it would be a shame if they saw Rin now… “Let’s go home.”

.

“We are sorry Fujimoto-san… they are gone.”

The queen had disappeared with the smoke.

Fujimoto cursed.

.

“Father, I have come back.” She kneeled in front of her father, her head hanging low and her eyes closed.

“Welcome home, daughter of mine.” The quite greeting they exchanged tasted like sugar in their lips. Gentle smiles in pale lips and salt water in sky blue eyes, she stood and smiled back to her father.

“I want a hug…” Amaimon said; he liked sister’s hugs they were warm and tight, they felt good. Egyn laughed and gave him his hug, a clatter made her turn 180º.

“Sis!” Rin hugged her and sobbed in her chest, the blue flames gone. “I-I wa-waz zo-zo zca-aared!” She enveloped him tight in her arms until the child more or less calmed.

“Oh, look at you.” Egyn started to rub his cheeks in order to wipe his tears, he was so flushed because of the crying… he sniffled and she took a tissue of her pocket and blew his nose. “I’m fine.”

 _“The young prince must be tired_.” Ruth said, and Rin looked around searching of the fifth talking person. Egyn snickered and pointed the black dog, Rin’s eyes widened.

“You can talk!”

“ _Yes, my prince._ ”

“How? Why?” The boy wondered petting the dog’s head and smiling.

“He always could, it’s just that you couldn’t listen, because you weren’t a demon.” His big sister answered kneeled on the ground.

“So I can hear him and the others now?” His eyes full of excitement and beaming, it was like he has just found out the best thing in the word. Satan shook his head; he really couldn’t understand his son.

Someone screamed.

.

Shiro was pissed, very pissed.

“WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND LET A HELL KING BE EXORCISED IN A GUIDED ACTIVITY?!”

“In my defense I will say that I had no idea that she was a Hell king.” Shiro greeted his teeth while Mesphisto kept smiling. “And if you knew that she was such a powerful demon why didn’t you exorcise her in the spot?”

“I WOULD IF I HAD KNOWN!”

“Can you please stop shouting?” Mephisto was starting to get irritated, his sister has taken her opportunity and escaped, like he had planned; she was still his little princess. “It would be wonderful if you could do so, after all, we have a guest now.”

A young man, rather messy appearance, with medium-length black hair and blue eyes, probably; he had an aura of ‘easy-going’. He was Lewin Light.

Mephisto put his best fake smile on.

“Oh, heavens dear! What do we own the pleasure? Mr. Light.” His mouth tasted like acid and felt like sand paper, it always had that effect on him when evoked Heaven, or said his grandfather’s name.

“Well~ I heard that you had some problems and I was on the neighborhood.”

“Oh… and where did you hear such a thing from?”

“I heard it from the grapevine.” The young man chippered scratching the back of his neck. “And it seems that it was right.”

Shiro’s lips were a fine line and Mephisto’s expression was unreadable hidden behind his intertwined hands.

“What were you saying about a Hell king? Mr. Fujimoto~” And that’s was the reason why he had told Shiro to stop yelling.

.

Yukio was on a foreign bed, in an unknown room and with strange people. He took the holy water that he still had and threw it to them, without noticing that his brother was there.

Satan reacted in the same moment that damned can flew in their direction; his flames burned it before it reached any of them. He wanted an explanation, now.

“What does this mean, Egyn?” his eyes narrowed towards the youngling.

“He was raised and trained by the former Paladin.” The queen was looking at Yukio with so much disappointment that Rin flinched; he was his twin after all. “By what I saw the exorcist came with him to my bakery so _rescue_ Rin.” She rolled her eyes while saying ‘rescue’ as if the kid had needed it.

“You were a baker?” Satan asked, since when did his only daughter servants’ job?

“I had to earn money, and it would have been a nuisance to make earn a degree.”

Her father hummed in appreciation, it would have certainly been a hindrance.

“Still, I didn’t think his first reaction would be… this.” Egyn looked straight to the younger twin terrified eyes. “Rin, what do you think?”

“He… Yukio is…” ‘the one who was loved, the one who was cared for, the one who wasn’t forsaken’, he loved his little brother, but maybe, not that much anymore. “Yukio is scared.” Egyn smiled at him and then smiled to Yukio sympathetically.

“So my other little brother is a coward.”

Egyn hushed Amaimon with a halfhearted glare.

Yukio came down the bed and looked for some sort of weapon, he took a candelabrum. It was pretty amusing to see a kid like that, oversized clothing and trembling and trying to look brave.

“N-nii-san, come here.” The little one said, Rin gripped Egyn’s arms so she would keep hugging him, even if a bit loosely.

“Why?” Rin was really confused and a little bit angry at Yukio. He shouldn’t tell him what to do and much less try to hurt Egyn-nee, Rin couldn’t understand why Yukio was so mean to his own family. “They are our family.”

“WHAT ARE YOU SAYING NII-SAN!?” Yukio didn’t understand, their family was ‘Priest Fujimoto’, not those demons!

“Rin,” Satan turned his head towards his son, the younger looked at him in the eye. His eyes were pure unlike her mother had been, innocent, naïve… a little spark of affection rushed over his ancient frozen heart, which seemed to melt a bit every time one of his children was born. “you should let your brother rest, we will talk with him when calm himself.”

The boy nodded and Amaimon looked at Yukio with curiosity. He asked to remain so he could observe as he had with Rin, the eighth prince had always had a seer curiosity to learn about what humans called ‘feelings’. He had learned ‘positive feelings’ from his sister, like happiness or brotherhood, from his father learned ‘respect’ and ‘admiration’ as well as ‘fear’. So he wanted to keep learning, after all, he was free to do what he wanted with his time as long as he did his job was a prince.

“Rin, do you want to see my quarters?” Egyn looked at him with something alike excitement. Rin beamed and soon forgot about his little brother still terrified and gripping a candelabrum as a weapon.

.

“Awesome!” Rin ran towards the grand piano in awe. The upright piano that they had in the bakery seemed like a toy compared to that one, it was magnificent. The carper was a Persian, or so it seemed, streaking red and purple and gold; a mandala design in the center of the room; bookshelves which went up ‘til the ceiling and stairs that went up in spiral to the actual bedroom.

The bedroom had on it a huge round bed with white sheets and blue canopy, yet it was elegant and royal-like in a sophisticated way. The walls were full of paintings, mandalas, the planets, the zodiac signs, a wind rose, a so many more things he didn’t understand.

Vines with blue flowers which sent up a blue soft light, making it look like the bottom of the ocean, cushions all over the bed in navy blue, purple and white. And on the side a mirror that took almost all the wall, it was spotless.

“That mirror will take wherever you want, but it will let you in the nearer water body, of course.” Egyn walked to the mirror and touched the surface, waves formed in it. “It will also show you anything you want to see from the past or the present… and if _I_ wish so, the future.”

She turned to Rin with a serious look in her blue eyes, darkened by the dim light.

“But the future is forbidden, so you never feel the despair of knowing it.” For the first time Rin felt all the centuries that had passed in front of those beautiful, sad eyes. “Now, it’s dinner time. Tomorrow I will show you my garden. Give me a minute so I can change in more formal clothes.”

The meals in ‘Pandemonium’, the palace of Gehenna’s King, were always elegant and their participants must always wear formal clothes and show perfect etiquette and manners. So Egyn had taught Rin all and repeated until it was enough to make him pass on their father’s eyes; it would require much more training to obtain the inattentive grace the rest of their brothers (except Astaroth and Beelzebub), he would surely be taking classes with Amaimon, who wasn’t a big fan but he knew that it was that or not being in the table with Satan.

She came out of her wardrobe which a long black night dress with pleats that were white inside, braided her hair with pearls and put tear-shaped sapphire earrings and abalone necklace. Her heels made sounded like a clock counting the seconds.

Egyn rang a bell and sooner than later a servant came with an outfit for Rin, it was all black and steampunk like, black leather boots and also some jewelry, Rin didn’t like that part.

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to make you piercings right now. But I think you should get them before long, father likes earrings and probably will gift you one or two pairs.” Egyn told him when they were done with almost everything; she was making the tie knot. “Ready?”

Rin nodded.


	5. Family dinner.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “NO WAY! This is blackmail material for centuries!” Astaroth howled; he was the trickster of the family. His sister had started a fucking wedding tradition! His serious, maiden sister! Egyn! She was supposed to be motherfucking ‘Artemis’ the goddess of hunt and maidens! What could be more cynical?

“So, are you going to introduce us?”

“I see, impatient as always Beelzebub.” Commented her in amusement, at least he had indeed wore decent clothing. The male demon shrugged without a care in the world, she knew him since birth so she should have known.

“Shut it Egyn, you’re not our mother.”

“Indeed, I don’t remember having given birth to such a rude fellow like you Ignis.” A vein popped on the red-headed temple. They were the closest ones in age, and even if they loved each other they would fight time and time again; it never grew old.

Patterns of circles, spiral, leafs, flowers… flashed on Ignis skin in an angry red, as bright as his scorching red head, Rin jumped and backed up a step, Ignis looked at him with a frown but stayed silent.

“What was that?” The little raven asked with curiosity to his sis.

“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself before, brat?!” Ignis barked, Rin growled back.

“Now, now, don’t make a show on the table.” Egyn was subtly looking at her father but one of her brothers didn’t seem to notice Satan’s frown.

“Don’t spoil the fun!”

“You would know quite a bit about spoiling, wouldn’t you Astaroth?”

“Fuck off Beel!”

“Silence…” Satan was calm, but drumming his long fingers on the table, a sharp gaze on his electric blue eyes. Everyone shut their mouths as if a spell had been put to work. “Rin, introduce yourself to your brothers. And where is Amaimon?” the older asked frowning at his eighth son’s absence.

“I’m here Father.” A bored prince came with a screaming and writhing Yukio, trying to twist his way out of the older demon’s arms. Amaimon brought him as if he was a potato sack. Astaroth couldn’t help but laugh. “Yukio didn’t want to come so I had to bring him by force.”

Satan sighed. That one was going to take so much work that he was tempted to kick him back to Assiah. Well, as soon as he stopped being a pain he would be able to start treating him like family.

The High King massaged his temples.

“That’s not how you carry a child Amaimon.” Egyn told him, slightly frowning at her younger brother.

“I had tried to bring him by the hand he would have ended up with a broken wrist.”

“True.”

“LET GO OF ME! YOU DEMON!”

“Are you serious?” Ignis asked while looking at Egyn.

“Not my fault he was raised by an exorcist.” Ignis face-palmed as Egyn shrugged, Astaroth was so astounded that he didn’t even laugh, Beelzebub blinked a few times without being able to wrap his mind around the mental picture. “Rin, why don’t you also introduce Yukio?”

“Okay.” The child smiled as if it nothing was wrong. Well, he was an excitable eight years old child that had just happened to discover he had a family, a big one on top of it. “I’m Rin, and he is my twin younger brother Yukio.”

“Ignis, Fire king, fourth prince of Gehenna.”

“Beelzebub, Insect King, sixth prince of Gehenna.”

“Astaroth, Rot King, seventh prince of Gehenna.”

“Amaimon, Earth King, eighth prince.”

“Azazel is not here, but he is the Spirit King, he’s the fifth of us; there’s also our elders brothers, Samael, King of Time and Lucifer, King of Light. They’re the second and first born.” Egyn told him. “I’m the third child and, as you can see, the only female.”

“Enough, we shall eat.”

“I DON’T WANT ANYTHING YOU EAT.” Yukio was starting to be too rude, and more than one started to churn in their seat.

Satan had once been an angel, a beautiful angel that was forgiving and nice and all the things that made his Father love him above his siblings and almost even above the rest of the Creation.

But he had never being a patient being, and one thing he could not cope with was disrespectfulness, rude behavior. That was the main reason he didn’t like humans, not all of them but… well, he despised most of them, they were disrespectful, stupid enough to defy unknown forces that could turn them into dust and he could go on and on about how idiotic they are.

After many eons, Satan had finally managed to develop the patience and sense of humor to see them as little pets that were fun to be around. That had made his job easier and he felt a rush of affection, the kind you would feel for a little animal and make you think they were ‘cute’, for the humans who adored them in a respectful and serious way.

Now, his own son was showing just how human he was and it was actually starting to get to his nerves and before he would do something he would regret; a. k. a. roast the child a little bit or terrify him (he didn’t need Rin to see that part of him just yet).

“Take the boy to his room.” The red-headed stood and bowed slightly. “If he does not want to eat, that is fine.”

“Yes, Father.” Ignis took the boy by the back of his collar and dragged him to the twins’ room.

The dining room was filled by a silence so thick that it could have been cut with a butter knife. Rin broke the tension.

“Dad, what were those marks on Ignis’ skin?” Satan looked a bit taken aback by the naming but it succeeded in the distracting him from his bad temper.

“Those were seals Rin.” The High King didn’t think he needed to elaborate, but then he saw Rin confused face. He made his seals visible, patters in a deep black, Indian ink like which emphasized his skin’s milky shade. “We all have too much power, so in order to maintain a healthy body we have to suppress that power. In Assiah the human call this ‘henna’, but they have confused the meaning, to us these seals do not have an aesthetic purpose. The more complicated design the stronger they are… but I am curious about how humans became aware of the seals.”

“That’s a funny story, actually.” Egyn said, pink gracing her cheeks. “Ignis and I went to the East and, kind of… had a fight. It took us three days to calm down and in that time… they thought those seals represented power and they tried to imitate them… Things escalated from there.”

Astaroth’s wild laugh could be heard from the hallways even. Beelzebub wasn’t much better, and Amaimon thought it was an interesting story; Satan sometimes wondered if he felt something at all.

Rin looked at his mortified sister in awe, she had started one of the most ancient ways to celebrate something and look pretty in the world! Why would that be something embarrassing?

“Sometimes I forget that you two act like children around each other.” Satan grinned as his already cherry red daughter covered her face with her hands trying to hide a bit her embarrassment. She was adorable, his little princess.

“Please, stop reminding me.”

“NO WAY! This is blackmail material for centuries!” Astaroth howled; he was the trickster of the family. His sister had started a fucking wedding tradition! His serious, maiden sister! Egyn! She was supposed to be motherfucking ‘Artemis’ the goddess of hunt and maidens! What could be more cynical?

“When would I get them?” Rin was bouncing in his chair, the wanted to get them soon; he wanted to be like his sis as quick as possible!

“Well, you should have already gotten some of them.” Beel took pity of his poor sister, whose forehead touched the table in an attempt to hide her ashamed face. “Don’t you think sister?”

Egyn nodded and finally raised her face; these familiar meals would be the end of her one of these decades.

“When you become five you’re supposed to get your first seal, every five years you get a new one, until your whole body is full of them.” Satan told him. “It would have been fine if you hadn’t come until you were fifteen, because you and your younger brother are both half demons. But you have already awoken your powers and you are powerful so you will need seals as if you were a pure blood.”

“I will give them to you tomorrow morning. I promise.” Egyn petted his head as he beamed. Rin’s stomach started to growl loudly. “Well, how about we start eating, Father?”

“Of course.” Satan had a soft smile in place, Rin knew now that his smile was from his father.

.

“LET GO OF ME!”

Ignis threw him to the bed and even if the boy landed in the soft mattress the impact was enough to take his breath away a little bit. The taller slightly brown skin flared with lines and spirals and flowers and hundreds of symbols that Yukio didn’t care about. His golden earrings glinted in the soft light.

“I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU BRAT.” His eyes flared like hellish flames. “I don’t care if you have been raised by an exorcist or if you hate us. Even if you go back to MOTHERFUCKING ASSIAH YOU ARE DOOMED!”

Yukio kept giving him a challenging gaze, full of anger and hate, and childish stubbornness.

“You don’t understand it, do you?” Ignis bended and looked at Yukio in the eye, his own eyes narrowed in a fierce glare, his voice more soft now; even if it was as angry as before. “You are Satan’s younger son. A Hell King, no exorcist in their right mind would take you under their wing, and even if that man who hurt Egyn and raised you did it, he has bosses. Bosses who want you, and Rin, and Egyn, and all of us dead; because what is a snake without its head?”

Yukio wanted to argue, but he knew that it was right and logical. It was frustrating, knowing that someone is right and still hating it, and still desperately wishing it wasn’t. Yukio hadn’t been called a genius for nothing.

“If we disappear what would humans do? Do you think that peace will reign forever and ever? An ‘and they lived happily ever after’? Please, boy use that brain of yours, demons are created from humans’ evils deeds. Even God was created by humans. Humans needed something to explain the magic that flowed in the air, something to explain lightning, something to explain why people die; to explain natural disasters, plagues, diseases… then God was born, and he created angels and maintained people’s delusions. But humans needed someone to blame for their evils heart and ill will; then demons were born.

“Our Father didn’t think about humans as something powerful, the just made use of the magic around them, without realizing it. It was an accident, once created they made us the bad guys, and as the bad guys what do you think we did? We went rampage, it took Father Thousands of years to create a functional place where demons could live without having to confront humans, Gehenna is another plane of existence, and Hell is a concept, the legend of the fallen angel? A story, as many others, Father hated what humans had done with Assiah, that they had forsaken their own creations and used them as scapegoats. Then he was thrown out of Heaven and to the chaotic mess Gehenna was then.

“He fought, and clawed his ascend to Gehenna’s throne, then more angels started to fall, seeing humans killing, messing, destroying not just each other but also Assiah, the first one was Lucifer’s mother the first female angel. Then Samael’s, and after that Egyn’s…

“For one reason or another, our mothers died and left us, some of them betrayed Satan, some would ask for their death, and some simply extinguished.” Ignis remembered his own mother a beautiful spirit which had been worshipped as a goddess and went to Gehenna to spend her last eons, not long after Shelegiel’s (Egyn’s mother) death. She had comforted the High King and raised Egyn for some time, they had been raised as blood brothers, and one day Hestia just disappeared as a flame that finally dies. It had been a long time before Satan fell for Azazel’s mother. But that was a story for another time.

“Gehenna and demons are what happens when humans make a mess. We, the royal family, maintain the order. We punish the sinners, made reincarnate the innocents, control and reign over the demons. Just think, what would happen if there was no control? Try and imagine it.” Ignis straightened again and while Yukio’s face went blue and his eyes wide and fearful. “Exactly.”

How could he refuse something like that, he had always thought that demons tried to pass to Assiah as often as they could, but it didn’t seem to be like that… if only the new born demons and the gods and spirits which became demons were in Assiah, just how big was Gehenna?

‘Large enough’ a voice in the back of his mind answered him. It sounded remarkably similar to Shiro’s stern and sharp tone when he asked that kind of things. The priest has always told him that demons were evil and that they must not be in Assiah; but he had never considered that they could be nice, or warm as his brother. He didn’t remember ever having been allowed to wonder if demons could be ‘not evil’.

Ignis could red in his big childish eyes confusion and realization, doubt and shame for doubting the lessons he has always been taught. He felt compassion, his mother’s blazing heart, the fire that was ‘home’ and ‘safe’; he got up and turned his back to the kid. Ignis could not let him see his softer side just now.

“Do you know when a monster stops being one?” Ignis asked much more quietly. He didn’t wait for Yukio to think an answer. “It’s when you learn they have nightmares too.”

Hell Kings do not speak about their nightmares with each other; they all have their own fair share to also have to cope with the baggage of their siblings. They are just there, offering a silent comfort, that tastes like honey and feels like a fluffy blanket and hot chocolate. They all have scars, and until not so long ago (in immortals’ way of measure time, of course) they were all together, the eight brothers and their Father.

Yukio had always being terrified of demons, since he could remember; they were scary and dark and always looking at him in the distance. He thought that maybe he was insane, maybe it was his imagination, maybe it was his fault… but they were just drawn to him by his royal blood, they had never done anything to him…Unless he crossed them of course.

He had started to train to be an exorcist (not so long ago really). Around that time his brother has disappeared, and he had blamed the demons who he had been training to tame and exterminate so hard.

But his brother had always been different; he had always been so strong, so short-tempered, so… freakish…

The black dog from before came trotting and bowed to Ignis, the older prince sat on the bed and petted its head and behind its ears. He smiled a bit. Ignis understood why Egyn would keep this Grim as her familiar, it gave a quite affection and loyalty, and it was also nice to pet and hug.

“Why was nii-san with that woman?” Yukio wondered for the first time.

‘ _Because the young prince had been forsaken by the one called Shiro Fujimoto._ ’ Ruth spoke, knowing that Yukio probably wouldn’t be able to hear him. Ignis took the liberty of telling him, the boy entered in a shocked state.

Ignis sent Ruth with a message for Egyn; he would take care of the younger twin for the time being. Astaroth was going to tease him for ages about this… oh well.

.

.

“So, a Hell King was captured, instead of exterminated on the spot;” Shiro nodded reluctantly. “brought here, and used for a guided activity risking the lives of the students and low ranking exorcists;” Mephisto was fine with the ‘truth’ being discovered… after all he was an ‘exorcist’ along with Azazel, and no one knew he was ‘Samael’ or that he had talked with Egyn. “and was able to escape leaving no trace after a smoke bomb.”

Silence reigned for five good minutes.

“Guys, you’re so fucked up.” Light was cheerful and even happy, or so it seemed. “I will need to report this to Angel, but I can save your asses if you asked me to.”

“Oh~. And what would such an important exorcist like you want from such a humble pair of exorcists like us?” Samael knew very well, that he would ask for something. Light was brilliant and that was common knowledge, he wouldn’t do anything he didn’t find remotely interesting… much less if it was something like this.

But as it seemed this was more than interesting for him. To say the truth, Light was so excited that he could barely keep his façade of happy-go-lucky and easy-going guy that people had linked to him. He wanted to investigate, he wanted everything and anything there was about the incident, all the facts, all the truth, all, all, all!

Every single detail was important. Why was Hell King there? Why they had not defended themselves when they had been captured? Why had they escaped instead of killing every single human there? Why a smoke bomb? How had Shiro found them?

Why? Why? Why? Why? How?

So many questions and so few answers… this was exactly his ‘cup of tea’.

“I want everything about this incident.”

Samael knew this was going to be a pain in the ass.


	6. Of spider lilies and dancing mermaids.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You won’t find anything even if I let you out.” Beel continued, letting the curtain back in place. “Gehenna is not Assiah, but it isn’t Hell either. I’m sure they taught you, that Gehenna is Assiah reflection…  
> .  
> They were all in Egyn’s quarters with three bowls of popcorn, Satan was in some kind of red cushioned throne, Rin sat in his lap. Yukio tried to get him out of it but he was caught by Ignis, who sat him in his lap, the fourth prince sat in the bed with a bowl in Yukio’s own lap. It was his way of saying ‘Shut up’, Ignis refused to let the brat spoil his family evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special guests: Saiyuki's cast. They will probably become regulars.

“Egyn-nee, where are you going?”

“To my palace, I have some things to care off.” Egyn was wearing beautiful clothes yet once again, it was a white dress with silver and iridescent details and matching boots. “I will come back soon. I promise.”

She finished her hair securing the half-up style with a hairpin made out of pearls, nacre and some chains which fell and missed with her straight hair making them glint at every step.

“I want to go too.” Rin wasn’t happy with having been left behind. It wasn’t like he was going to start crying all over his sis pretty dress but he was anxious, nervous, and fidgeted.

“You can’t.” Egyn answer was immediate, Rin wanted to scream and his eyes started to glitter, he pouted and asked again. “You can’t, because before coming back I want to show you something that you wouldn’t be able to see if you came.”

“What’s that?!” He was angry now! He was strong! Hadn’t he proved rescuing Egyn?!

“No demon; nor human can swim to the depths I want to show you. You will need to breath _and_ even if you didn’t you will be crushed by the pressure.” Egyn didn’t tell Rin about the protocol and that he couldn’t be properly introduced just yet, he was still too young and too human. The nobles would eat him alive, and he wasn’t exactly trusting about the rest of them just yet.

He was too… soft, bland to be swept in politics.

‘ _Well, I just hope there isn’t going to be a Coup d’état in the next hundred years. Last one was just five years ago after all._ ’ Every hundred years or so there was some kind of rebellion. It was a cycle and it was a well-known secret that every human-living cycle (80-90 years by now) demons tried to take the throne, the land went into chaos and a fifty years civil war took place.

They were crushed, maimed, killed, etc. every time but they kept coming never less. It was fifty years of recovery and other fifty of planning. It was boring to deal with the last unextinguished flames every then and now, but it had to be done. They were demons after all.

Funny fact about demons was that they felt too much not too little; demons were born from strong emotions, such as revenge or love. How did that saying go again?

_Our hearts are monsters; that’s why our ribs are cages._

The thought reminded her of a spirit with golden eyes, condemned to remain in a child body; the Earth’s first son and her protégé, the monkey king Wukong. Her lips made a thin line while thinking in her past; her father let him into the world too early.

Satan used him as a Guardian and sent him to Assiah.

“ _Egyn, I want you to take a kid under your wing.”_ He told her, and sent her to search for the demon.

First time she saw him Wukong was imprisoned in a cave with heavy chains and a golden diadem, Egyn took him back to her palace. Wukong’s memories that were sealed inside the diadem made her cry for the first time since Hestia’s death.

“Oi~, princess~ time for us to go.” Black hair and short, it was messy and spiky. Violet eyes and tan skin, a cigarette on the mouth.

“I’m sorry, but I’m pretty sure that they will destroy the palace if we don’t get back soon.” A man with dark brown hair this time long, it was smoother and fell over the monocle, he had grayish eyes that seemed violet too when caught the light in a certain angle.

 _My lady, if you allow me to, I would like to remain with the young prince Rin._ Ruth asked while eying his master and then the little child, obviously upset by the events; the Grimm expected the kid to be a little more soothed, maybe it was arrogant of him but… he wanted to believe he had become important to the little prince as Ruth itself had come to care so much about Rin.

“Eh~, fifty years ago you would have tried to bite us if we had suggested you to leave the princess in our hands.” The black haired man got a sharp glare from the canine and lifted his hands in surrender. “Scary, scary.”

 _I’m trusting Goujun, not you. If you as much as glance at her in an improper manner I will make sure to drown you in the Styx._ The dog growled at him.

“Oh, my! That’s sure a serious threat, you should refrain yourself Kenren.” The pleasant smile in the other’s man face was completely unfazed by the growl Ruth shot him right after.

“Don’t abandon me here Tenpou!” The other complained; seemly hurt by his partner words.

“You are both idiots, shut up.” Egyn told them over her shoulder.

“And who’s the little one?” ‘Kenren’ asked, crouching down and looking him at eye level.

“I’m not little!”

“Rin, my younger brother.” Egyn told him, ignoring the outraged sound the child made.

“Which number?” Tenpou asked as if it wasn’t anything new, it wasn’t but… it’s not every day you get to see a little prince of Gehenna.

“He’s the 9th.” She was used at the marshal’s antics. It had been hard to convince her father to let her use former gods as marshal and general but nothing compared to their fight over Konzen or how they called him when he became a demon because of his sutra, Genjo.

_“I’m not letting a monk get into Gehenna to take care of a child! You have raised your siblings!”_

_“Exactly! And I need to keep taking care of them! I can’t handle more kids!”_

Then she took the golden eyed kid and went to Assiah to get the three companions that would become her personal guard. Satan had bloodshot eyes when she came back.

That was the first and only time she defied her father, she won but her workload increased way too much to repeat experience.

Egyn was aware that if she ever tried something like that again she wouldn’t get away with just an increase in her workload.

Still, Konzen had been a terrible choice in babysitting matters, so in the end they all ended taking care of the kids. It had been exhausting, but fun and a huge utter disaster. Kenren’s encouraged Astaroth’s pranks, while Beel picked up Tenpou’s sarcasm and Konzen terrorized them all with his paper fan, Goku was an expert in getting the blond nerves. It was hilarious to think that the great princes of Gehenna will tremble at the sight of a mere paper fan.

Egyn’s head still hurt when she thought about it, Amaimon’s goblins had chased them all at least ten times (surely more); she sighed and turned back to Rin.

“Rin, I think will bring back a little friend with me.” She told him. ‘ _It would be nice… if they could become friends_ ’, thinking that she left Rin after kissing his cheek with a soft smile.

.

“I wouldn’t do it if I were in your shoes.” Beelzebub’s voice stopped Yukio in his tracks. He didn’t know what the kid was planning but sneaking around Satan’s palace wasn’t a good idea.

Yukio looked at him accusatorily, he didn’t have time to waste with a demon, he had to find Rin and get the Hell out of there.

“Well, maybe you should see what’s out to get that you shouldn’t try to run away.” Beel started to walk ahead Yukio who eyed him curiously. “Aren’t you coming?”

Yukio followed him with reluctance.

They reached a balcony and the older pulled a curtain out of the way. In front of him there was a meadow… or something like that, the sky was perpetually frozen in the twilight, and the soil was covered by hurricane lilies as red as the sky, shining and moving in the breeze.

“They change color sometimes, like Satan’s fall anniversary.” Beel told him, he remembers the first time he saw the whole meadow change from that burning red to Satan’s flames blue, it had been breathtaking and still was. “They also change when it’s any of our birthdays.

“You won’t find anything even if I let you out.” Beel continued, letting the curtain back in place. “Gehenna is not Assiah, but it isn’t Hell either. I’m sure they taught you, that Gehenna is Assiah reflection…

“Assiah is like a clean, bright summer sky and Gehenna is instead the same clear and bright sky but during nighttime. I have seen Assiah once or twice but I love Gehenna better, just like me there are many demons who prefer Gehenna to Assiah, even if they love trashing around Assiah and have fun at human’s expenses.” Beel looked at him with a condescending smile. He knew that kid would never truly loved Gehenna like his brothers and sister until he could see its beauty with their own eyes.

Beel was good reading people, after all he knew most of things that happened in his kingdom, using insects’ eyes he could see and had learned to read people; judge them and classify their character; Yukio was no different, unlike his older twin he was closed and denied any help or warnings even. He could say without fear to be told he was wrong that Yukio’s future would be awfully painful and difficult, and at the end of the day he will only be able to blame himself.

Beel left, poisonous violet eyes closed for a second longer than necessary, he wasn’t going to enjoy Ignis’ temper when the kid ran away.

.

Rin was moping, that was clear as the day, when Ignis found him or more likely when Ruth guided him there; the poor dog didn’t know what to do with the little child.

“At least you aren’t screaming bloody murder.” Ignis sat down next to him and petted his hair. His long hair was in a loose and low ponytail and his olive-skinned skin made his eyes bright and pretty, they were a mix of reds and oranges and yellows. Rin looked at his pointy ears and saw golden earrings, not so many it was disgusting thanks goodness. “Don’t tell Roth I told you but when he was your age he would throw a fit every time she went away. It always ended up smelling like shit for days.” He snickered and Rin smiled; he maybe hasn’t been such a good first impression at dinner last night but he was actually nice.

“Ruth told me that your heart is a sword, a blue katana right?” Ignis maybe didn’t seem it but the fire king remembered all those little details, it was a habit from his childhood days with Egyn, both competing and playing and arguing. Rin stared at him blankly and cocked his head, sword? Oh, that one.

Ignis could see the gears turning and maybe even a little light bulb shining when he got it. This was really funny indeed.

“Oh, that one.”

“Yes, that one. I can teach how to use it if you want me to.” Ignis offered; he had become a master in distracting children from their mother figure’s absence, he had to, after all, it was that or suffering the consequences and he wasn’t exactly excited to see what his little brother’s flames could do (much less if they were the same as his father); thank you very much.

“Really?!” Rin wasn’t exactly aware of why it was important or necessary but this way he could expend more time with his older brother! It would be fun for sure!

“Really.” That carefree smile was rare to see in Ignis’ face; Ruth had never seen it for sure. The Grimm smiled inwardly at the thought of Rin being the cause, he was going o bring a change for sure to the family.

But he wasn’t still aware of how much changes would happen with the arrival of the younger twins.

 _My Lady told me to look into the Mirror before taking the young prince to bed._ Ruth told the older prince. Ignis smiled, so she was going to show him her realm in Assiah, that didn’t happen very often so he wouldn’t miss the chance to see her dancing in the depths of Assiah’s oceans and seas.

“Beel! Tell Roth, Amaimon and Father that Egyn is going to show us her realm in Assiah!” He was sure at least one of Beel’s bugs has seen him. “It’s a rare occasion and Egyn looks beautiful while swimming.”

She knew when someone was looking at her through her mirror but she would think it was Rin and Ruth alone; Egyn didn’t like to swim when Father looked at her, she thought that wasn’t aesthetically pleasant enough.

Boy, she was wrong.

Ignis has never seen a creature more beautiful than Egyn swimming in the water.

.

Yukio was trying to force one of the windows when Amaimon took him by the back of his collar, knowing than nothing good would come if he struggled he just let the older demon carry him to the dinner table.

He wasn’t going to enjoy this.

Ignis was humming a tune Egyn taught him long ago, it sounded regal and mysterious even just hearing that hum.

“Yukio, Egyn is going to swim for us.” Satan told him. “Do you want to see her?”

“No.”

“Come on, Yukio! Don’t be like that! I’m dying to see it!” Rin wanted to see her and be with his family and he wanted Yukio to be there too. Yukio bit his lip, he didn’t want to see some demon swimming but his nii-san wanted to see her; he was torn between going or not.

“Let him be, Rin. He doesn’t want to go and he force him it will just ruin the mood for all of us.” Beel told the older twin. He didn’t want such a rare occasion to be spoiled by a sulking brat that didn’t want to have anything to do with his own family.

“But…” Rin was sad now, as happy as he had been after training with Ignis the basics and knowing something special was going to happen that night.

“I will go.” Yukio said, he wasn’t exactly happy but he was curious. If all of them were so excited then it could be something special. ‘ _And I maybe I will get to see home._ ’ He thought, eating almost with a smile.

“I got popcorn from Assiah last time I was there.” Astaroth told them. Then he explained Ignis how to cook them, it was simple and he couldn’t do it by himself (it would just spoil the food). Beel sighed relived when he saw that they were in one of those ‘plastic’ bags they had in Assiah, it was one of the best achievements the humans had done in his opinion (no more gruesome food from Astaroth, no sir).

Rin was happy again and Satan questioned himself if he would ever be able to understand what was he thinking, but he was more interested in his sudden changes of mood. Well, he had time to figure him out.

.

They were all in Egyn’s quarters with three bowls of popcorn, Satan was in some kind of red cushioned throne, Rin sat in his lap. Yukio tried to get him out of it but he was caught by Ignis, who sat him in his lap, the fourth prince sat in the bed with a bowl in Yukio’s own lap. It was his way of saying ‘Shut up’, Ignis refused to let the brat spoil his family evening.

In the ground were Roth and Beel, sitting on cushions, finally Amaimon was laying in the bed and, if he reached his hand, he could take popcorn from the bowl between Roth and Beel, Ruth was laying at Satan’s feet.

“Show us Egyn.”

The mirror fulled itself of waves as if it was water and they had thrown a rock to it. Soon there was Egyn, her hair silver more than blond inside the water, and a gorgeous fish tail.

It was iridescent and played with the light as she swam and captured the hearts of her public, more numerous than she thought.

Egyn seemed to be silvery blue, dancing with the fishes, with a graze no one would ever see on earth.

After that she found a blue whale, and the queen of water was so tiny compared to it… she rested in its back for some minutes as if listening its voice. Even such a huge creature seemed to dance in the weightless world painted by blue and white and dark.

Pirouettes and acrobatics, jumps out of water that made her glimmer like a white pearl.

After that she played and swam with sea lions; Egyn had to run away from a great white even.

And then, the creatures that humans considered just myths came to welcome her, a sea horse as beautiful as her, its color was something impossible to describe, white and gray, and blue and green and a million more colors, it seemed to change it to device the world. One time it was white and coral-like and the next greenish and blue.

This show kept going for almost three hours and none of them was tired of looking at it. Finally, in Assiah, the night came and Egyn’s last jump in moonlight imprinted itself inside their minds. When she touched the water, she was there no more.

The mirror turned black.


End file.
